If the Cherokee Nation’s application is approved, the grant would provide a 20 percent match for project costs. According to the news release, the Cherokee Nation Commerce Department would operate the proposed center.

“Anytime the Cherokee Nation can offer its citizens an opportunity to enhance their lives, we must pursue it diligently. This training center will not only empower our citizens to pursue their dreams, but will also help create more jobs for Cherokee people,” Tribal Council Speaker Tina Glory-Jordan said.

The National Congress of American Indians was founded in 1944 to represent the voice of the American Indian public to the U.S. Congress.

The councilors reappointed Edward H. Fite and Marty D. Matlock as commissioners on the Cherokee Nation Environmental Protection Commission. Fite has worked with the Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission for 30 years. Matlock is a University of Arkansas ecological engineering professor.